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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wound · wax · ball · field · jam · kick · fork · lie

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. ball — a dance
  4. wound — an injury
  5. field — farmland
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. ball — a great time
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. field — for sport
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. field — a subject
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. wax — to grow
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. lie — to recline
  17. fork — in a road
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. lie — an untruth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com